Electric control for drilling engines and motors



.Fan. 20. 1925. ,523,661

- C. F. RIGBY ELECTRIC CONTROL FOR DRILLING ENGINES AND MOTORS Filed May29. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTDE C Ian: 7: Riqbq by his after-n41? c.F. RiGaY ELECTRIC CONTROL FOR DRILLING ENGINES AND MQTORS File y 29.1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 his affarneg Patented Jan.

CLARK F. RIGB Y, 0F BUTLER. FPENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOSAMUEL 3'. ELLIOTT, OF PITTSBTTEGH, PENNSYLVANIA. AND ONE-FGUBTH TO FREDR. VAN LEAR, OF GHAMBERSB'URG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC CONTROL FOR- DRILLING ENGINES AND MOTORS.

Application filed May 29, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARK F. Rronr, a citizen of the United States.residing at Butler, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in an ElectricControl for Drilling Engines and Motors, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an electric control for drilling engines.

lvhile internal coml'iustion engines provide the most compact and mostconvenient source of power for drilling, as for various other purposes,they are not normally susceptible of use to actuate a well drilling rig,because they operate at uniform speed and deliver uniform power. Thatis, an internal combustion engine does not accommodate it selfautomatically to widely varying cond'itions. In drilling by the standardor cable system, as is well known, the motion is intermittent. That is,a string of heavy tools is lifted slowly and dropped quickly. Thisoperation is performed by means of a walking beam, which carries thestring of tools at one end thereof, and which is actuated by aneccentric connection at its other end with the band wheel of the rig.

Since the drilling motion is irregular, comprising a slow upward pulland a quick dropping of the tools, it is necessary that the moving partsof the drilling engine be operated by the weight of the tools during thedropping motion. Otherwise the engine would be acting as a brake on thetools during their fall. and would thus greatly impair the etiiciency ofthe operation. lVhile steam engines accommodate themselves automaticallyto this motion, exhausting power to permit the weight of the tools todrag their moving parts during the portion of the drilling cycle inwhich the tools are dropped, internal combustion engines, as previouslystated, do not act automatically in such manner.

It has been attempted to regulate the speed of an internal combustionengine in accordance with the drilling motion by mechanical means. Whileoperative, such means have, however. not proven completely satisfactory.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide electrical meansand connections, which may be controlled automatically Serial No.716,599.

from a moving part of the drilling rig to regulate the speed of aninternal combustion engine in accordance with the drilling motion.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of theelements of a drilling rig pertinent to the present invention, andshowing the arrangement of the invention: Figure 2 is a detail viewshowing the elements of the device which are in immediate conjunctionwith the internal combustion engine of the drilling outfit; Figure 3 isa detail elevation showing a preferred arrangement of electricalconnections with a moving part of the drilling rig: Figure 4 is anelevation of pertinent )arts of a drilling rig, showing modifiedconnections with a moving part of the rig; Figure. 5 is a plan view ofthe same; Figure 6 is a detail side elevation of a modified form ofconnection with a moving part of the drilling rig; and Figure 7 is afront elevation of the same modification.

In the drawings the reference numeral 1 indicates the Samson post of therig upon which is pivotally mounted the walking beam 2. At one end 2 ofthe walking beam are the elements for suspending the drilling line,indicated generally by the reference numeral 8, and at the other end isa pitman 1 connected with an eccentric 5 on the shaft 6 of a band wheel7. The internal combustion engine, indicated generally by the referencenumeral 3 is connected with the band wheel by any suitable connect-ion9.

The carburetor 10 of the internal combustion engine, with particularreference to Figures 1. and 2 of the drawings, is provided with. athrottle 11 to which connect jointed operating rods 12 and 13. Rod 13 ispivotally mounted at 14. During the running of the engine the throttleis normally held in a fixed position by means of a coiled spring 15,which is connected with arm 13 on one side of the pivotal point thereof,and an adjustable stop 16 mounted in a frame 17 on the other side of thepivotal point of the operating rod 13. A solenoid 18. disposed in closeproximity to the operating arm Or rod 13, is arranged when energized toopen the throttle of the engine to a greater extent than that for whichit is normally set. Connected with the solenoid 18 is a circuit wire 19leading to the terminal post 20 of a storage battery 21. A secondcircuit wire 22 leads to a contactbar 23, which is mounted on one ottheband wheel posts 24. A circuit wire 25 leads from the terminal post 26ot' the battery to a contact bar 27 also mounted on the band wheel post24.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, a hub plate 28 ofconducting material is carried by the band wheel 5 to rotate therewith.Contact bar 27 bears against the periphery of the plate, which is ofconducting material throughout. Contact bar 23 bears against the face ofthe disk 28, in such manner that the rotation of the disk forms with thecontact bar a path concentric with the center of the disk. Forming anare equal to a semicircle along this path is aplate 29 of insulatingmaterial.

In conducting the drilling operation the band wheel 5 is brought toproper position prior to its connection to the pitman 4, so that thecontact bar 23 bears upon the insulating plate 29 during the down strokeof the end 2 of the walking beam 2 which supports the string of tools,and bears against the face of the disk 28 itself during the up stroke ofthat portion of that. end of the walking beam which supports the tools.

The result of the arrangement is that the solenoid 18 is energizedduring the upward movement-of the end 2 of the walking beam, while thetools are being lifted in the well. The energization of the solenoid 18causes it to attract the end 13 of the pivoted arm or rod 13. Thismotion transmitted through the operating arm 12 opens the throttle 11 ofthe engine. The engine is thus enabled todeliver greater power forraising the tools.

lVhen the contact bar 23 rides upon the insulating plate 29, duringdownward movement of the end 2 of the walking beam, the circuitcompleted between bars 23 and 27 by the disk 28 is broken, and solenoid18 deenergized. Upon deenergization of the solenoid 18, the coiledspring 15 acts upon the arm 13 to move such arm as far as is permittedby the stop 16, thus partially clos ing the throttle 11 of the engine.This decreases the power output of the engine to such extent that theweight of the tools determines the action of the moving parts of theengine, and the engine does not exert such power against the fall of thetools as to unduly retard the same.

Figures t and 5 illustrate a modified arrangement of contact bars, andmeans for electrically connecting the same, other portions of themechanism being identical with those shown in Figure 1. As shown inthese latter figures, contact bars 31 and 32 are mounted on a post 33adjacent the band wheel 7. The band wheel 7 carries on its tace a plate34 of conducting material, which is approximately semicircular, andwhich is disposed concentrically with the shaft 6 of the band wheel. Thebars 31 and 32 are parallel to each other and are sufficiently closetogether that they are both in contact with the conducting band 34during approximately the same period of time.

During the up stroke of the end 2 of the Walking beam 2, both of thecontact bars 31 and are in contact with the conducting band 34, so thatthe circuit is completed through the conducting band and the solenoid 18energized. During the down stroke of the end 2 of the walking beam,contact bars 31 and 32 may ride upon the non-conductive material of theband wheel proper or may be completely out of contact with the face ofthe band wheel.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings,contact bars 35 and 36, mounted on a post 37, are electrically connectedby a band 38 of conductive material set into the periphery of a wheel 39secured to the shaft 6 of the band wheel, during a portion of eachrevolution of the band wheel.

The action of the mechanism with this modification of the device isexactly similar to that occurring with the use of either of the othermodifications illustrated and previously described.

It will be understood without specific illus tration that means similarto those shown in Figure 5, and Figures 6 and 7, may be independentlymounted and operated at the same speed as the band wheel by means of asuitable connection therewith.

As a number of other modifications may be made, by which the circuit maybe completed during a portion of the drilling cycle by completing acircuit through a moving bar of the drilling rig without departing fromthe spirit of the present invention, the scope of the invention is to berestricted only by the limitations contained in the append ing claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a well drilling rig ano an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, electrical means controlled by a movingpart of the drilling rig for regulating the speed of the engine.

2. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, mechanical means for regulating the speedof the engine, and electrical means controlled by a moving part of thedrilling rig for actuating said speed regulating means.

3. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, a solenoid for operating the throttle ofthe engine, and electrical connection arranged to automatically energizesaid solenoil during a portion of each operating cycle of the drillingrig.

4. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, a solenoid for operating the throttle ofthe engine, an electrical circuit for energizing said solenoid, andmeans carried by a moving part of the drilling rig "for completing saidcircuit during a portion of each operating cycle of the drilling rig.

5. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same. mechanical means for regulating the speedof the engine, electrical means for operating said mechanical speedregulating means, an electrical circuit to said electrical operatingmeans, and means carried by a moving part of the drilling rig forcompleting said circuit during a portion of each drilling cycle of therig.

6. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, a solenoid for operating the throttle ofthe engine, an electrical circuit for energizing said solenoid, andmeans carried by the band wheel of the drilling rig for completing saidcircuit during a portion of each revolution of the band wheel.

7. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, mechanical means for regulating the speedof the engine, electrical means for operating said mechanical means, anelectrical circuit to said electrical operating means, and means carriedby the band wheel of the drilling rig for completing said circuit duringa portion of each revolution of the band wheel.

8. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, a solenoid for operating the throttle ofthe engine, an electrical circuit having free terminals adjacent theband wheel of the drilling rig, conducting means carried by the bandwheel and arranged to electrically connect said terminals, andinsulating means associated with the band wheel and arranged to breaksuch connection during a portion of each revolution of the band wheel.

9. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, electrical means for regulating the speedof the engine, and means associated with the band wheel of the drillingrig for causing energization of said electrical means during a portionof each revolution of the band wheel.

10. In combination with a well drilling rig and an internal combustionengine for actuating the same, mechanical means for regulating the speedof the engine, electrical means for operating said mechanical means, anelectrical circuit to said electrical actuating means having freeterminals adjacent the band wheel of the drilling rig, conducting meanscarried by the band wheel and arranged to electrically connect saidterminals, and insulating means carried by the band wheel and arrangedto break such connection during a portion of each revolution of the bandwheel.

In1 witness whereof, I hereunto set my hanc.

CLARK F. RIGB Y.

\Vitnesses A. M. CHEVERIN, E. B. WALTERS.

